JUI-F’s Attaur Rehman has bright chances of becoming senator

PESHAWAR: Maulana Attaur Rehman, younger brother of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, has bright chances to make it to the Upper House of Parliament provided the 17 members of his party in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly vote for him in the Senate elections today.
The JUI-F has fielded four candidates, including Maulana Attaur Rehman, on the general, technocrat, women and minorities seats in the Senate.The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly will elect 12 new senators, including seven on general seats, two each on technocrats and women reserved seats and one from the minorities. A total of 27 candidates are in the run.
Besides Attaur Rehman, the JUI-F has awarded tickets to Muhammad Yaqoob Sheikh on the technocrats seat, Shafia Amjad on the women reserved seat and James Iqbal for minorities seat in the Upper House of Parliament from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Earlier, a wealthy businessman Manzoor Afridi was also fielded for the Senate contest.
Both Maulana Attaur Rahman and Muhammad Yaqoob Sheikh belong to Dera Ismail Khan while Shafia Amjad, who is married to former JUI-F provincial head Sheikh Amanullah’s grandson, is from Lakki Marwat.
Elected to the National Assembly for two consecutive terms from Tank district, Maulana Attaur Rehman had served as federal minister for tourism in the previous Pakistan People’s Party-led coalition government. However, he lost to the PTI candidate Col (Retd)Amirullah Marwat in the by-election for the National Assembly seat from Lakki Marwat that his elder brother Maulana Fazlur Rehman had won in the 2013 general elections and later vacated.
Born in July 1962, Maulana Attaur Rehman received his early education from his father Maulana Mufti Mehmood, former chief minister of the erstwhile NWFP and head of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam. He received religious education from Madrassa Qasim-ul-Uloom, Multan. He also worked as an administrator-cum-teacher at a seminary in his hometown Dera Ismail Khan. From 2006 onward, he had been active in politics and is presently holding the office of vice-president in JUI-F.
Muhammad Yaqoob Sheikh is a known businessman of Dera Ismail Khan but is least known in the party. According to JUI-F provincial information secretary Abdul Jalil Jan, Sheikh Yaqoob is old member of the JUI-F. The JUI-F candidate for minorities seat James Iqbal belongs to a Christian family of Peshawar and is uncle of the sitting MPA Askar Pervez.
The JUI-F is likely to withdraw its candidate on women’s reserved seat, Shafia Amjad, in favour of Awami National Party nominee under a deal to win votes for its candidates on general and technocrat seats in the Senate elections.